The tribute's ball is next, with more Calzona angst as they decide whether or not they can see each other. A comparatively long chapter this time, so I hope it doesn't bore you! Once again, I hope you enjoy this, and please review :)
"Stop fidgeting. You look fine.", Callie hollered to Mark, who was anxiously checking his reflection in the window of their corridor.
"You would say that. You don't know how much work this face needs to get it the way it is.", came the brusque reply, sounding oddly masculine, but still incredibly vain.
Making a strangled noise in the back of the throat, Callie reached over and yanked the man away from the window, "Look Mark, honestly, just stop. It's not right for some one who's nearly an adult to preen as much as you to. I swear you have some sort of condition, like clinical narcissism."
Mark gave a snort, and gave her a push, "Says the girl who barely practised dancing so she could check she looked perfect for her little girlfriend."
Catching him the surprised look Callie shot him, he indignantly went on, "Hey, the looks you've been giving each other aren't that subtle, and I may be vain, but I'm not dense."
When Callie kept his gaze with smouldering eyes threatening to erupt at any moment, he gave a sigh, "Fine, Addison told me she caught you to snuggled up together."
The Latina gave a groan, "Why can't she just keep her mouth shut?"
Grinning, Mark shrugged, and ran a hand through his hair, perfecting the tousled tresses on his head. For an eighteen year old, he look older than he was, and really rather good-looking. However, he seemed as if he looks would intensify with age, and this was merely the beginning.
Callie gave a chuckle at the thought, and Mark shot her a questioning look, however, she was saved from having to explain by their Escort bustling into the room.
"It's time to go now, so look sharp.", was the ever so useful advice offered by the Capitol-accented voice, before he scampered off again, in all of his toupeed glory.
Offering her an arm, Mark began to walk forwards towards the door. Smiling, she weaved her arm through his, and stepped into the ballroom with him.
...
Despite his teasing, his arrogance and his vanity, Mark was a decent guy, a good friend, and a fantastic ally to have on your side.
Still, she would pay him back for her remarks on her private business. And as they began to dance – the second couple in the formation – she began to plot small victories she could win against him to exact her compensation.
All the while, she kept an eye on the doorway which the Tributes from District Seven, Eight & Nine would emerge from, waiting for a familiar blond head to emerge.
Nervous to the point of being skittish, Arizona shifted from foot to foot, the tall heels she was wearing tapping lightly on the stone floor beneath her.
"You know, if you just took a step back, this wouldn't be such a big deal for you. Calm down.", called Charles from behind her, at ease against the grey, blank wall behind them, but obviously uncomfortable in his tuxedo, "It's not like you have to be trapped in one of these straight jackets, anyway, is it?"
Sighing, and allowing herself to relax a little, she walked over to where the other Tribute stood, and leaned beside him, her eyes sliding half shut. After her and Callie had been interrupted, she had been distracted. Distracted to the pout that she didn't even care what the stylists were doing to her, just that they finished what they were doing quickly. She needed to see the Latina again, and they needed to talk properly, without being interrupted.
Not that Arizona minded the way she had been interrupted last time they had been talking.
A smile slipped onto her face, one that was picked up by Charles, who took the opportunity to use it.
"Going to dance with your girl tonight?", he asked, grinning as he startled her.
Arizona gave him a death glare, before muttering something under her breath.
"Hmm…?", Charles continued, furthering his interrogation whilst chuckling lightly.
Equipped with the sweet smile that often accompanied her remarks, Arizona retorted, "Only if you dance with your girl from Three. Isn't Reed her name? Maybe she can teach you how to dance."
The chuckling emulating from Charles stopped immediately and he, in turn, glowered back at her.
"Dude, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen", she added, a little less sharply, trying to soften her earlier words with a smile.
He returned her small smile, evidently still a little wounded from her comment. Charles was saved from replying from an Capitol official entering, and gesturing for them to move from their corridor into the ball room, straight into the first dance.
"You ready, Phoenix?", he queried; using the coined name for her that he had heard another Tribute use. He thought it was a reference to a city in the country that was before Panem, but wasn't sure – the Capitol had banned the teaching of pre-Panem history in schools until recently, and he was not the most academically inclined in written subjects.
"When you are, Nosedive.", was the game reply from Arizona, referring to his spectacular fall whilst they were practising dancing, as instructed by their Escort an hour of so earlier.
The boy gave a roll of her eyes, and offered her his hand, which she took. Walking forwards, he led her into the ballroom, which was bedecked in a glowing gold colour and began to follow the other Tributes into the first dance, catching sight of a certain Tribute, and beginning to smile.
Maybe the night wouldn't be a total waste, after all.
In the Tribute's ball, only the first dance was televised. After that, the camera crews stepped out, and the Tributes were left mostly to their own devices, though they were watched through the closed circuit camera system, in case violence broke out.
The first dance was a spectacle, all the Tributes bedecked in less extravagant costumes than the opening ceremony, but still in dresses & tailor made tuxedos that cost more than most families in the poorer Districts earned in a year. All the District were also assigned a colour – District One got Purple, Two got Red, Three were allocated pink, Four yellow, and so on.
Arizona and Charles were dressed in blue – hers a long, sleek royal blue evening gown, his a midnight blue suit, with a black tie.
All of the Tributes looked splendid, and for the most part, they forgot all about what they were there for, and proceeded to mingle and laugh, dancing together in groups, or just pairs. Callie was roped into a Career dance, and capered around with Addison for a while, taking it in turns to impersonate each other.
A blonde interrupted a particularly lively dance between the two, and offered Callie her hand. It would have been impolite to refuse, so the two swayed lightly together. The blonde was from Six, and surprisingly capable in training for a non-career, especially with an axe. They began to talk, and slowly, it became clear that Erica (as her name was revealed to be) was looking for an alliance with the Careers, and possible something more with Callie, as thinly veiled hints revealed.
"I'll think about it.", replied Callie, gently breaking off the dance early on, and smiling tightly at the blonde, before walking back over to Cristina stood, not dancing.
"You get all the ladies, don't you?", the woman said bluntly, not taking her eyes from the other Tributes. Jackson was dancing with the fainter, April, from Eleven; Derek with an ash-blond girl from Five, Mark with a dark haired girl from Eight. It had become apparent during the evening that Cristina did not dance.
"Shut it, Yang.", replied Callie sharply, trying her best to ignoring the raised eyebrows the Career was sending her.
It was at that moment that another, more welcome blonde head than the last one came into view, and shot Callie a beaming smile, before diving into a dance with the boy from Five, Alex. He seemed grumpy and sultry, but had apparently cheered up in the presence of Arizona, and the girl from Ten, Izzie.
Unfortunately for Callie, Yang had caught the look from Arizona too, and gave a malicious smile to Callie. "My point in proven", the dark-haired woman sang in a triumphant voice, before striding over to a rugged, ginger haired man from Twelve to steal or bully his drink off of him.
Feeling more relaxed now that Yang had wandered off to torment somebody else; Callie was content to watch Arizona dance. As if she felt her eyes, the blonde looked up and gestured for Callie to join in, as she was quickly becoming a third wheel between Izzie & Alex.
Grinning, and finishing her drink, Callie walked over in perfect time for the next dance.
Callie arrived just in time for Izzie and Alex to wander off to dance together, alone, leaving her and Arizona as a pair.
Arizona gave the Latina a small, shy smile, and offered her hands out for a dance. Callie gamely accepted, and as the dance was slow, they settled into an easy rhythm, waiting a few moments before speaking.
"So, I've been thinking…", began Arizona, only to be cut of my Callie.
"Arizona, if you start to ramble again, I'll be forced to cut you off like I did last time.", were the words that interrupted her, causing the blonde to blush and trip over Callie's feet. Whilst Arizona felt awkward, Callie found it adorable, and giggled a little.
"As I was saying, I've been thinking. I call things wrong in the heat of the moment – I back out, I run away. But if you want to, just for this week, we can try this. We can try us. But you have to promise, once we're in the Arena, you can't compromise yourself for me, and I can't do the same for you"
The words fermented in the air for a moment, allowing Callie to mull over them, before they settled & faded, "That sounds fair to me. So long as you do compromise, and come and train with the Careers. You don't like Mark, but he's harmless here. So are the others. You can do what you like when we're in there, but if you want to give us this week, you actually have to let me see you during training."
"I'll train with the Careers if you train with me and Charles for half of the time. Deal?", was the negotiation given by Arizona, smiling now.
"Deal."
With that, the song changed, and Callie grinned. She knew the song, and it was energetic, so she spun, pulling Arizona into a wider space, so they had more room to themselves.
"Can you dance?", asked Callie with a grin.
"Can I dance?", countered Arizona, with a larger smile, "I'm offended that you even have to ask that."
The blonde spun away from Callie, pulling off the silver high heels on her feet, and tossing them onto a sofa at the edge of the ballroom. Following suit, Callie did the same, and they were both barefoot on the wooden ballroom floor, facing each other.
Bobbing to the beat of the song, Arizona slipped away raising her arms up and exaggeratedly shaking her hips from side to side. She spun around, and did a loop of the other Tributes, before finding her way back to Callie, who watched her in amusement, before rolling her eyes, and joining in.
Arizona pulled a face at Callie's reluctance, and immediately, Callie gave a mocking pout in reply.
Both beginning to giggle, they drew closer together, jokingly shimming together before doubling over in laughter. They slide past each other, exchanging jokes and little comments causing them both to laugh as they danced, and soon, most of the other Tributes, barring Cristina and the equally stoic Owen from Twelve, were following their example and loosing themselves in laughter as they jumped around.
"You have impeccable jazz hands", called Callie to Arizona, over the noise of the music, and the other Tributes.
"You'd be surprised at what else they can do.", was the flirtatious answer she wrought from the blonde, causing Callie to blush in surprise.
Arizona let out a laugh, and trailed her hand over Callie's hips as she passed, placing a subtle, nearly imperceptible kiss on the Latina's neck.
Soon, the atmosphere took over, and even Cristina was joining in, pulling Owen over to where the other Owen, her fellow Four, was dancing with Meredith. An irritatingly perky woman with curly hair from Nine joined the group, and started to wave her arms about in ways peculiar to even the least co-ordinated of dancers.
Addison danced with the boy from Eleven, Sam, and lord knows what other odd pairings were taking place at that moment. It was a melting point of attitudes, Districts, opinions, looks & dance moves, but somehow, it looked oddly right.
By this time, Callie and Arizona were fully dancing together, in close range, Callie's hands on Arizona's hips, and ghosting up and down her sides teasingly as she slipped past. The DJ seemed to have caught the vibe and had continued to play upbeat, dynamic music until everybody was exhausted.
At this point, Arizona excused herself to get some air, and wandered outside the ballroom to a corridor that had a window that would open (half of them didn't in the building, for the obvious reason of suicidal Tributes). It wasn't like they even needed that precaution: there was a force field around the building, which would stop the Tribute from dying.
Slowing her breathing, and tucking her hair behind her ears, Arizona leaned out, sucking in the fresh, cold air, and shivering slightly. She heard footsteps from behind her – ones that she recognised – and for the first time did not jump as a pair of now familiar arms slipped around her.
The warm body behind her was the perfect temperature to counteract the cold air nipping at her skin, and she shifted further into it, giving a low murmur of appreciation as lips slipped to the side of her neck as gently kissed the cold skin.
They stayed in the position for a few moments, before Arizona turned, spinning so that Callie was against the window, and a hand on the window sill either side of her trapped her there.
"Usually, I'd be concerned about being trapped in a corner by an opposing Tribute, but I think I'll make an exception.", Callie said softly, her eyes glittering as she took in the blonde in front of her.
A soft hand traced her jaw line, and she leaned into it, watching Arizona's reactions to her. After a moment of what seemed like deliberation, Arizona leaned in and gently touched velvety lips to her own.
Callie leaned into the kiss, feeling her heart rate speed up, and her breathing hitch. She slowly tilted her head to one side, and caught Arizona's face in her hands, pulling her closer. Their lips moved in synchronisation, and one hand slipped from Arizona's face to twine with the blonde's fingers.
Their lips opened, and the kiss became deeper, shaking both of them down to their very centres. Callie felt herself want to change for the girl with her lips on her own- to be a harmless Tribute instead of a cold-blooded, calculating Career. She wanted not to fight, just to wait out the storm, instead of trying to battle it.
Finally, the kiss was broken, and each pulled away a little, though their hands intertwined.
"Come back to my room?", Arizona asked, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, and biting it anxiously.
"There's nothing I'd like more.", whispered Callie softly, tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear.
With Callie's hand in her own, Arizona walked from the noise of the ballroom back to the apartment complex, a soft squeeze on her hand comforting her slightly as they walked.
.